Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of devices used for towing loads, and more particularly to a steerable, self-powered device which is specifically designed for use in towing and guiding a plurality of shopping carts from one location to another.
As shopping centers have evolved from the small individual store located on a relatively small location to large multi-store shopping centers, and even to warehouse-style stores with huge parking lots, new problems not encountered in the smaller locations have developed. One of these problems is that with large parking lots taking up a considerable area surrounding the stores, shopping carts must be periodically rounded up and returned to the stores. Such large lots typically have shopping cart collection areas; those carts scattered around the parking lot are also marshaled to a number of locations for collection.
Typically, a large number of shopping carts ranging from ten to fifty shopping carts are placed together, each one fitting into the next adjacent one, in a line. The line of shopping carts is then tied together with a length of rope to retain them in a row, so that the thusly secured line of shopping carts may be returned to the store to which they belong for reuse. The line of shopping carts is then pushed and/or pulled back to the store, a task which requires considerable strength due both to the combined weight of the line of shopping carts, and the rather unwieldy, difficult to maneuver nature inherent in the tied-together line of shopping carts.
The job of returning the line of shopping carts to the store at which they belong has been almost exclusively a manual task due to the fact that the shopping carts must be brought into the store through a standard size door. While a forklift or similar device may be used to pull the line of shopping carts through the parking lot, typically pulling or pushing the line of shopping carts into the store is a task which must be done by hand since the forklift is simply too large to fit through most store doors. Thus, the most difficult part of the job of returning the line of shopping carts to the store must be done by hand, taking both considerable time and considerable effort, and often requiring more than one employee to perform the task.
It is accordingly the primary objective of the present invention that it provide a device which is capable of easily towing and guiding a line of tied-together shopping carts through a parking lot, through the door of a store, and into their desired place in the store. As such, it is a related objective of the present invention that the towing and guiding device of the present invention be conveniently operable by one person, thereby reducing the labor required to gather the shopping carts, tow them through the parking lot, and take them into the store into their desired storage location. It is a further objective that the device of the present invention be easy to operate, and that it be highly maneuverable to allow the line of shopping carts to be easily maneuvered around obstacles in the parking lot and through the doors of the store without becoming hung up or bumping up against anything in the process.
It is an additional objective of the towing and guiding device of the present invention that it be highly compact in size, thereby further facilitating its maneuverability and enhancing its ability to be stored in a relatively small amount of space. It is yet another objective that the towing and guiding device of the present invention be self-powered to facilitate moving the line of shopping carts easily without requiring great strength to be exerted by the operator of the device. It is also an objective that the towing and guiding device of the present invention be electric powered to eliminate the emission of air pollution in the parking lot and in the store, and also to make the operation of the towing and guiding device virtually completely quiet.
The towing and guiding device of the present invention must also be of construction which is both durable and long lasting, and it should also require little or no maintenance to be provided by the user throughout its operating lifetime. In order to enhance the market appeal of the towing and guiding device of the present invention, it should also be of economical construction to thereby afford it the broadest possible market. Finally, it is also an objective that all of the aforesaid advantages and objectives of the towing and guiding device of the present invention be achieved without incurring any substantial relative disadvantage.